• Kundi says policies will now come from Islamabad instead of Kabul; reiterates no talks with Taliban
• Chairs maiden apex committee meeting, rules out ‘full-scale military offensives’
• Naqvi terms emergency ‘difficult constitutional course’
PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD: A day after the federal government handed him control of the province after imposing the governor’s rule, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Monday promised a new era of counterterrorism coordination between the provincial administration and the Centre.
Speaking at a press conference at Governor House, Mr Kundi accused the PTI-backed government, suspended after the emergency proclamation, of colluding with terrorists and pursuing the policies dictated by Kabul, Kandahar and Jalalabad.
He said the newly appointed advisory council would now follow the policies coming from Islamabad,
adding that citizens and personnel of the law enforcement agencies were unsafe during the PTI rule. The PPP leader stated that a special committee was formed for 12 districts, and that there was no need for full-scale military offensives against terrorists, as only intelligence-based operations would be carried out.
He alleged that Afghanistan had become a facilitator for India and Israel and accused the PTI of refusing to give any statement against Afghanistan even though the militants were using its soil to launch attacks in Pakistan.
According to the governor, the provincial government had been following the policies of the militants out of fear and it did not even respond to the anti-Pakistan remarks made by the Taliban government in Kabul. He said there would be no talks with Kabul, and also hinted at a major operation against undocumented Afghan refugees — an issue discussed in the apex committee.
“This is our task. You will find an Afghan national behind every terrorist activity,” he alleged, questioning if a Pakistani citizen could live in another country without a valid visa. The governor said the apex committee met on the first day since its top priority was the fight against terrorism, adding that police and law enforcers would be provided with all required resources. He said that salaries of the police would be increased, shuhada packages would be enhanced, and free education would be provided to children of the martyred personnel.
He also confirmed that non-functional chief minister Sohail Afridi was in protective custody and those who had cases registered against them would face the charges, while others would be freed.
Mr Kundi assumed executive control of the province after the Centre imposed Governor’s Rule in KP and emergency in 12 of its districts, citing the security situation and alleged non-cooperation of the now non-functional provincial government.
Advisory council meets
Earlier, the advisory council held its maiden meeting of the apex committee with Mr Kundi and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in the chair. It was attended by military officials, the chief secretary, and senior police officials. The governor assured Mr Naqvi they would enforce all policies of the federal government and work together with the security forces for peace and prosperity of the province.
The governor stated that there was no doubt that all—the federal government, advisory council, and the law enforcement agencies were on the same page, and that the council would meet all demands of the police and the counter-terrorism department of police.
“We can sacrifice development [developmental projects] but will never compromise on security,” the governor said, as he noted a “lack of synergy” in counterterrorism efforts in the province.
“Now it will show that there is (synergy),” he said, adding that the administration will “fulfil the demands of the Counter-Terrorism Department and police”. He stressed that the administration will “work 24/7” as the federal government and the “people had put their faith in us”.
Mohsin Naqvi stated that he could proudly say that the federal and the provincial governments [the advisory council] were on the same page on the very first day.
“In the past 2.5 years, we have seen many ups and downs,” he said, adding that the most difficult work was that the war against terrorism was being fought with “no backend support”. Criticising the PTI-led government, he said, “It was the [provincial] government’s job to lead the war against terrorism, but they did not do it. They kept bowing their heads only because they did not want to compromise. But any war, no matter how many resources you have, cannot be won until the government leads it.”
The minister also shared a plan for districts. “We will have to go for the five districts’ plan and we will strengthen them [LEAs, the district administration] so that they bravely perform their duties,” he said.
10 APCs handed over to KP
Separately, Mohsin Naqvi said the federal government handed over 10 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) of the Islamabad police to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police to strengthen their ongoing counterterrorism operations.
“The fight against terrorism is our collective responsibility. The federal government stands firmly with KP Police and will extend every possible support to defeat terrorism and protect our people,” he said in a statement on X.
In another post, the minister said that the imposition of governor’s rule and emergency was a difficult constitutional course, not a political decision. He said the government and its allies had exhausted every avenue of parliamentary engagement, direct dialogue and back-channel diplomacy with the KP government and PTI leadership.
“KP has borne a heavy burden of terrorism and our security forces and civilians have made immense sacrifices. In these circumstances, cooperation should have been the priority, not confrontation,” Mr Naqvi said. “This was neither a political decision nor an easy step.”
Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2026
